NEW ORLEANS — In the end, the Nuggets defeated themselves. Too many turnovers, too many second opportunities allowed.

And no matter how effective a team is in other areas, those eventually come back to bite.

Sunday, they bit the Nuggets with the force of a mad pit bull.

The Pelicans escaped with a 111-107 win over the mistake-prone Nuggets in an overtime thriller at the Smoothie King Center, snapping a modest two-game winning streak and getting Denver's last long road trip (five games) of the season off to a disappointing start.

"That's pretty much the story of the game for us," Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. "Regardless of who you're playing on the road, you can't turn the ball over that many times and allow that many rebounds."

New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Eric Gordon (10) works around Denver Nuggets small forward Wilson Chandler in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Sunday, March 9, 2014. (Bill Haber, The Associated Press)

The carelessness showed up big time in overtime. The Nuggets couldn't keep the Pelicans off the offensive glass. And for a New Orleans team that found it difficult to score in its initial possessions, the extra chances were much-needed lifelines. The Pelicans cashed them in, which allowed them to stay in the game when the Nuggets were scoring well, and eventually to take control for the victory.

The Nuggets' last chance ended with a turnover. They had 27 of them in the game. New Orleans had 18 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 26 second-chance points.

The loss turned out to be an opportunity missed.

"It was a big game," Nuggets guard Aaron Brooks said. "We were building up momentum and playing better basketball."

The game was a tale of two halves.

In the first, the Nuggets challenged shots at the rim, funneled ball handlers to the corners and baseline, plugged the middle as well as they have all season and secured rebounds on missed Pelicans shots.

And because of the work they put in on the defensive end, offense was easy. Running was the norm, especially in the first half when the Nuggets collected 16 fast-break points. The Nuggets' big men outran their counterparts time and again, getting layups and dunks or getting deep paint position, which set themselves up for one-on-one opportunities. The only time shooters were even forced to think about danger near the rim was when NBA blocked shots leader Anthony Davis was patrolling the area. He blocked six shots and scored 32 points.

But the second half was corrosive. The equity the Nuggets built up in that first half eroded. The Pelicans found a higher gear and hit it for the final 24 minutes of regulation. That meant the third quarter was all New Orleans, when it outscored the Nuggets 30-19 mainly on grit. The Nuggets lost control of the guards early on, and that opened the door to other players finding open space.

"It's something about the team this year: We don't have that killer instinct quite yet," said Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, who led the team with 22 points and 14 rebounds. "We're trying to develop it, but we have to develop it fast, or it's too little, too late."

Spotlight on Chris Douglas-Roberts: With starting shooting guard Gerald Henderson questionable because of a strained calf, the spotlight remains on Douglas-Roberts. In the Bobcats' most recent game, Saturday against the Grizzlies, he responded in a spot start, scoring 15 points and hitting 6-of-10 shots. He also contributed two rebounds and two steals in 30 minutes. Otherwise, he's been a bit player this season, averaging 17.7 minutes per game.